


The Cat in the Hat

by sg_wonderland



Series: The Changeling AU [2]
Category: Stargate SG-1
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-06-29
Updated: 2011-06-29
Packaged: 2017-10-20 20:29:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,036
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/216806
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sg_wonderland/pseuds/sg_wonderland
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>My version of how the AU Fire Chief Jack O’Neill and psychologist Dr. Daniel Jackson met.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Cat in the Hat

**Author's Note:**

> After writing ‘Time Does Not Wait’, I realized I wanted to know how this particular Jack and Daniel met. And that line about Daniel not looking like a cat kept coming back to me….

The Cat in the Hat

 

“You’ve got to be kidding me!” Fire Chief Jack O’Neill groused as he swung up into the ladder truck.

“No, I’m not kidding. Some kid stuck in a tree trying to get a cat stuck in a tree,” Captain Samantha Carter waited until he was belted in before she put the big truck in gear and rolled out of the station, hitting the siren and lights to clear the traffic. She couldn’t help but smile at his expression; O’Neill was a well-know dog man and not overly fond of cats as a rule.

This was the kind of run Sam liked, she thought idly as she easily maneuvered the truck. As long as the kid was okay, they did a good deed and bought some good-will within the community. Besides, it was too pretty a day to spend cooped up in the station house.

*

It wasn’t hard to figure out where they needed to be headed as she turned onto what she guessed would have been an ordinarily quiet street in an ordinarily quiet neighborhood. Today, there was quite a crowd gathered beneath a large shady oak in a fenced-in front yard.

With an unconscious arrogance, Sam parked the truck in the middle of the street and vaulted out, knowing that the rest of the crew would be right behind her. She was immediately besieged by a gang of kids, all talking at the same time. When she got the gist of what they were trying to tell her, she threw back over her shoulder. “Chief, one of the kids fell out of the tree.”

They both picked up the pace, following the self-appointed leader. “Who fell?” Sam asked.

“Daniel fell! Carla went up after the cat and Daniel went up after Carla!” He grabbed her hand and dragged her around the tree, where she found not a child but a man seated, leaning back against the tree.

Sam didn’t see any obvious injuries but she peeled off her helmet and crouched beside him. “Hi. What’s your name?” She gently took his chin and tipped his head so she could meet his eyes.

“Daniel.” He frowned, trying to resist her grasp.

“Stay still, Daniel. We’re with the fire department.”

His head flopped backwards. “Oh, please tell me they didn’t call the fire department!”

“Sorry, no can do.” She thought his pupils looked pretty good but she’d let the EMTs determine that. She also thought he had possibly the prettiest baby blue eyes she’d ever seen. “So what did you hit when you fell out of the tree?” He really ought to be lying flat but he didn’t seem to be in any kind of pain so Sam let it slide.

“The ground?”

“He doesn’t look much like a cat,” Jack commented from over his head, earning a frown from the patient. “EMTs are on the way. Patrick’s going up the tree after the cat and the little girl who our hero was trying to save went home crying with her mother.” Jack hunkered down beside him. “What were you thinking, by the way? You’re supposed to leave the hero stuff to guys like us.”

Daniel retrieved his glasses from the ground and made a production of putting them on, perusing Jack’s uniform. “Funny, it doesn’t say ‘cat rescuer’ anywhere on your uniform.” Sam stifled a laugh at her chief’s expression. “What I was thinking, Mr. Fireman, was that a little girl was going to get hurt and I was in a position to do something about that. Now, if you’d let me get up…” He shifted to stand, only to have Jack stop him with a hand on his shoulder.

“You don’t get up until the EMTs say you get up.” Jack waggled a finger at the reluctant patient. “You don’t get to make that call. They do.”

*

Fifteen minutes later, the excitement had died down. The cat went home with its owner, the ladder truck had taken its grouchy chief and departed as well. The EMTs pronounced their patient able to stand and, despite his protests, helped him to his house down the street.

“Well, this is certainly embarrassing.” Daniel thanked them as they watched him unlock his front door.

They waved him off. “This is what we do; we’re just glad no one was hurt.”

If you don’t count my pride, Daniel countered silently, as he signed the release and watched them depart. Locking the door behind them, he finally admitted that he was liable to be pretty stiff by morning. Although he’d declined medication from the paramedics, he walked through the house to his large, sunny kitchen and dug out some Tylenol. He realized he was still holding the release they’d handed him and took a seat, unfolding it to read what he’d just signed. Without realizing why, he found himself perusing the paper for the name of the smart-mouthed chief.

*

“Oh, man,” Jack sniffed deeply as he made his way through the station house into the kitchen. “I will marry whoever cooked whatever smells that good.”

Sam waved a fork at him, shifting the food in her mouth. “No cook. Catered.”

“Catered?” Jack grabbed a plate and began to fill it. Lasagna, stuffed mushrooms, buttery garlic bread joined the samples from the appetizer tray. “I don’t suppose we have a good red to go with this?”

“Got a big red truck out front,” one of the guys hooted loudly.

“Funny, real funny. And whom do we owe for this fabulous spread?” Jack took a bite of lasagna and closed his eyes to savor the flavors. “This is great!”

“You remember the guy who fell out of the tree last week?” Sam snagged another piece of bread, contemplating whether she could handle another square of lasagna. She decided she could and helped herself. “He had Carmen’s send lunch over as a thank you. Also sent a very nice card.”

“Cat guy sent this? We should send him a thank you.” Jack mumbled.

“I hope he falls out of a tree at least once a week.” Patrick tossed the fork on his plate, leaning backwards.

“I hope we don’t get a call,” Sam added. “I won’t be able to climb anything after that.”

“In that case,” Jack stabbed a fork toward her plate, only to have her deftly fend him off.

“Watch out, sir, you might want to save a place for dessert.” Sam’s eyes twinkled wickedly.

“No, don’t tell me,” Jack breathed.

“Oh, yes, tiramisu in the refrigerator.”

Jack folded his hands in mock supplication. “Please don’t let us get called out this afternoon.”

Sam nodded. “We definitely have to send this guy a thank-you note.”

*

Two weeks later, Jack ran through the ER of the local hospital, snagging a familiar looking nurse. “Hey, they brought a firefighter in earlier.”

“Oh, yeah, I think they sent him up for X-ray. You want me to check for you?” Without waiting for an answer, she walked around the desk. “What was his name?”

“Patrick. Rob Patrick.”

She quickly tapped a few computer keys. “Yeah, he’s in X-ray if you want to go check on him.”

“Thanks.” Jack tapped the desk before he headed for the elevator.

He started to charge in without thinking and nearly plowed down the man exiting. “Oh, sorry…well, it’s the cat guy.”

Daniel eyed him quizzically. “And it’s the fireman.”

“Gotta name,” Jack scowled.

Daniel folded his arms. “Funny. I do, too.” Then he unfolded his arms, stuck his hand out. “I’m Daniel. Daniel Jackson.”

“Jack O’Neill. So,” Jack didn’t even notice the elevator leaving without him. “You hang out in hospitals for fun?”

“No, I work in them for fun. I suppose I should have clarified. It’s Dr. Daniel Jackson.”

“Doctor, hmm? You’d think a doc would know enough to stay out of a tree.”

“I’m a psychologist and I stand beside my decision to climb the tree.”

Jack leaned against the wall, his destination forgotten. “I’ll bet you’d argue with just about anyone.”

Daniel suddenly smiled and Jack’s breath caught in his throat as the eyes brightened and a pair of dimples appeared. “There are those who would swear I’d argue with the furniture.”

Jack regained his composure in time to grin back at him. “You know, I can believe that. Oh, the guys and I want to thank you for the dinner.”

“It was the least I could do. I do appreciate the rescue even though I technically didn’t need it.”

Jack realized he was basically standing in public, blatantly flirting with the guy. He impatiently jabbed the elevator button. “I’ve got to go check on one of my guys. Nice to see you again.” He stepped in the elevator. “Stay on solid ground from now on, huh?”

Daniel waved a negligent hand as the doors closed.

*

Over the next few weeks, Jack saw him a few more times. Nothing planned, just chance meetings. At a children’s health fair where the station was giving rides on the truck and Daniel was manning a lemonade stand, a few casual passings in the hospital and once, Jack spied him coming out of a restaurant with an older couple.

And every time, Jack’s heart beat just a bit faster.

*

 

Jack was enjoying a rare Saturday off. He’d mowed and puttered around the house. He’d showered and was relaxing on the couch, looking for something to watch on TV when the doorbell rang. He briefly thought about not answering it but he realized it could be something important.

Dr. Daniel Jackson was standing on his doorstep. “Hey. How are you?”

After a moment of shock, Jack stepped back, motioning him in. “Come in, Dr. Jackson.”

“Daniel. It’s Daniel.”

“Okay, Daniel. Have a seat. Want a beer?’

“Yeah, thanks, that would be okay.”

As he was grabbing the beers, Jack gave a quick thanks that he’d cleaned the house today. Daniel murmured his thanks as Jack handed him a bottle before sitting across from him. “So,” Jack said as the silence lengthened, “to what do I owe this honor?”

“Okay,” Daniel said. “I know you’re not in the military so the ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ doesn’t exactly apply here but I realize that being in the fire department means you kind of live with a lot of guys who might not be so open minded.”

“Are you meandering on purpose or are you actually going somewhere with this conversation?” Jack cut him off, with a quirky smile.

“Would you like to go out sometime?”

Jack slowly lowered his beer, stunned. Finally, he found his voice. “Are you asking me on a date?”

Daniel’s brow winged upward. “Too subtle for you?”

Stalling for time, Jack asked. “What makes you think I’d be interested in…?”

“I did mention the psychologist part, right? Trained to observe people and their reactions and all that?”

Jack took a long drink of his beer. “Well, this is embarrassing.”

“I don’t see why you should be embarrassed; I was flattered by the attention.”

Jack took a deep breath. “And so you…?”

“Wouldn’t be here if I weren’t interested.” He sat his untouched beer down on the coffee table. “Why don’t I give you time to think about it? Call me if you want to. If not,” Daniel shrugged, “no harm, no foul.”

He was out the door before Jack realized what he was doing.

*

Two days later, Daniel was surprised by a flower delivery at the hospital; his secretary was openly curious as she deposited the basket of sunny daisies on his desk. “Someone’s got an admirer.” She teased as she openly eyed the card.

Daniel barely snatched it before her questing fingers reached it. “Thank you, Mollie,” he said pointedly.

“Cute.” She flicked the tail of the stuffed cat curled amongst the flowers.

Daniel waited until she’d closed the door behind her before he ripped open the card, smiling as he read the card. ‘Saturday night, seven o’clock. I’ll pick you up. The Cat Rescuer.’ He gently plucked the striped cat out of the basket and gave him a place of honor on the credenza behind his desk. The card went into his wallet and the basket went home with him that night.


End file.
